


The Subjectivity of Brightness

by doctorkaitlyn



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Character Study, Fluff, M/M, One Shot, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-23
Updated: 2012-08-23
Packaged: 2017-11-12 17:10:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/493676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctorkaitlyn/pseuds/doctorkaitlyn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Although he may have been the last Time Lord in existence, the Doctor knew that he was definitely not alone.  I suppose this could be described as a character study.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Subjectivity of Brightness

The city is so bright tonight. As soon as the thought pops into his head, the Doctor finds himself mentally correcting himself; after all, brightness is certainly a subjective concept, depending entirely on the planet. He's been to places where their cities are strung up with so many lights that it's impossible to walk around without special sunglasses on and he's been to planets that have no concept of brightness whatsoever, where they live in total darkness. He hadn't been particularly fond of either planet, if he was being honest; certainly they'd been interesting but there were nothing compared to the planet he was viewing currently, hands clasped behind his back.

They were nothing compared to Earth.

He'd always had a special thing for Earth and its inhabitants, for reasons he'd never been able to pin down with complete accuracy. After all, humans were _definitely_ not the most intelligent creatures in the universe, or the prettiest, or the kindest. In fact, there were still times where he was downright terrified at the sheer amount of evil humans were capable of. The planet itself _was_ rather beautiful (as the view from the window was evidence of) but it wasn't anything too special in the overall picture of the universe. It certainly wasn't anything compared to Gallifrey.

If it hadn't been for the footsteps behind him, he probably would have let his mind wander for hours, thinking about Gallifrey, picturing its beauty in his head, remembering every detail. But as the footsteps grew closer, he forced himself out of his thoughts, smiling as they stopped behind him. He counted exactly two and a quarter seconds of hesitation before a set of arms found their way around his waist, applying enough pressure to be reassuring. He was still getting used to this feeling of being held; he'd hugged people plenty of times but it was an entirely different feeling letting someone wrap their arms around you from behind. It required an entirely different level of trust.

He trusted Rory Williams.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked, moving his hands so that Rory could step closer to him. Milliseconds after, Rory's chin was digging into his shoulder a little too sharply but he didn't dare move; the feeling of his breath against his neck was far too nice to do so.

"Nope. It's weird really, I can't sleep anywhere but the TARDIS now." The Doctor chuckled slightly, letting his hands rest over Rory's; that was a feeling he knew only too well.

"She has that effect on people," he murmured, letting his eyes drift shut for the moment being. Rory's hands were warm against his stomach, even through his shirt and his breath was warm on his neck, making his skin tingle. Everything about Rory was warm, was safe. It was a foreign feeling, to be so comfortable around someone else but he certainly wasn't going to relinquish it any time soon.

"Rory?"

"Mm?" Rory tilted his head slightly and gently pressed his lips against the Doctor's neck, effectively erasing whatever thought he'd been planning on voicing. However, another one popped into his head quickly and he decided to go with that one until he could remember whatever Rory's lips had driven out of his mind.

"Why do you humans like light so much?" He nodded his head towards the view, aglow with the lights of a thousand different buildings despite the fact it was the early hours of the morning.

"I've never really thought about it." Rory was obviously pondering the issue, his arms tightening around the Doctor's waist until his back was flush with Rory's front.

"I guess they remind us that we're not alone," he said after a few moments of silence, his words almost lost in the fabric of the Doctor's jacket. "So long as there are still lights, we know that we aren't the only one left." Right after the words left his mouth, the Doctor felt Rory's body stiffen up, like he was afraid the Doctor was going to fall into a weeping mess or something like that. Instead, he let his hand drift up to Rory's hair, running his fingers through the thin strands at the back of his neck, stroking until Rory finally relaxed, pressing a kiss into the curve of his neck.

"Will you come with me to bed?" The Doctor knew that he wouldn't sleep; he rarely felt the need to and considering the day they'd had, he was still too full of adrenaline to even consider resting. But he was aware that Rory was already suffering from the crash that came after the high; the least he could do was stay with him until he fell asleep.

"I'll be there in a minute," he said quietly, turning around and cradling Rory's face in his hands. "Promise."

"I believe you." Rory kissed him gently, lips slowly moving, pressing hard enough for the Doctor to bite back a whimper. It truly amazed him how the same man who made him feel so comfortable was also the one capable of undoing almost nine hundred years of self-control with just one kiss. He forced himself to pull away, missing the taste of Rory's lips almost the moment they left. With one more quick peck, Rory exited the room, leaving the Doctor with only the lights of the city.

Pressing his palm against the thin glass, he couldn't help but sigh. He knew that if he ventured into the part of space where Gallifrey had previously been, there would be no lights to reassure him. There'd be no tall buildings, no advertising boards; there'd be nothing but the cold expanse of dark space as a reminder of the fact that he was the only one of his kind left.

He licked his lips once and, as he tasted the remainder of Rory's flavor of tea and mint, a thought popped into his head. It was a thought he knew, quite definitively, that he had never had. It was a thought that he _knew_ would never have popped into his head had he not met Rory Williams and persuaded him to come travelling.

He may have been the last Time Lord in existence, but, as he finally tore his gaze away from the window and made his way to Rory, he knew that he was definitely not alone.


End file.
